LITTLE HEN ON STILTS (FIRST PART)

There was a town called “Memory”, with colourful houses, perfumed flowers and fruit trees. Where the birds were plentiful, trilling every morning bringing happiness to their visitors.

People in the town were used to having hens, pigs or turkeys in their courtyards depending on what they preferred to eat. As is normal, there were big houses for rich people, as well as smaller houses.

There was a very grand corner house which had a big courtyard and a yard full of hens with a fence around it facing the street, so visitors could see them and give them food.

One day, the circus came to town, and a merchant followed closely behind. He sold wooden articles such as tables, chairs, brooms, brushes and also stilts to sell them to the circus.

When the merchant saw the corner house, he was amazed to see flowers hanging from the roof such as daisies;bougainvillea, myrtles, violets and so on.

But, the plump hens with their colourful feathers looked so appetizing and attracted his special attention.

Thinking that he could eat a nice hen soup, he approached the fence and caught the attention of the hens. All of them ran towards him hoping for a good handful of corn.

Only one hen didn´t get close but reared up and stayed apart from the tumult of her sisters and friends, becoming easy prey for the merchant.

Trying to gain her confidence, the merchant entered the yard and approached her saying:

– “Little hen, what´s your name?”

And the little hen replied shyly: “Jewel”

– “Why are you so shy and sad? When you reared up, I saw that your legs are very short and I think that is why you are so sad, isn’t it?”

Jewel was shocked and thought: “He is a wizard and has discovered my secret“.

Shy and self-conscious, the hen replied: “I don´t like crowds, I can´t see very well when I am among many hens, because the others want to be the best and that´s why they overshadow me, even if I am the prettiest“.

The merchant was very happy. He realised he had his first client to sell his stilts to.

“I have the solution that will make you the biggest hen in the yard and the most powerful! You are very pretty, I can see that, but by using my stilts your legs will be longer, so you will also be the tallest!” – the merchant said.

The hen ran to her mum, yelling: “Mum, muuuuum….!!”

TO BE CONTINUED….

GRANNY´s Short Stories, dedicated to my grandchildren, Valentín and Matías.

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